A Change in Circumstances
by AgentOfAngst
Summary: Wasabi was never supposed to meet GoGo's terrible father. But it's a little different if he's in a coffin.


**A chapter of Moving Too Fast drops today that's related to this story.**

**Other stories you could read to get my canon for these characters?**

**Family Dinner, Alone Time, When We Were Younger, Lie Detector and Unfixable.**

**Am I using my stories to advertise my other stories?**

**Yeah. I need this, Legacies made me really sad.**

**You could also go read TheSparklyKitten's fanfics and Brainyxbat's fanfics. I will use my stories to advertise writing and writers I care about and sometimes that writing is mine.**

**Enjoy!**

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"Do you ever just open the obituary section of the newspaper?" Leiko "GoGo" Tomago asked her fiance Wesley 'Wasabi" Ginger on one terribly cold morning that had just turned colder.

"You still get the newspaper? I didn't know anybody still got the newspaper…" They were meeting for coffee at The Lucky Cat Cafe per usual, the unusual thing was that they were alone. Earlier in the year, GoGo had noticed that she'd started showing up a little earlier to their little breakfast meetings. Just to get a few more minutes alone with her freakishly punctual man.

"That's not the point, Wasabi."

"Sorry, what were you going to say about the obituaries?" GoGo pulled out the newspaper, winced a bit, and showed him the obit in question.

"I think," Leiko said with a sigh, "that we're going to have to attend a funeral."

GoGo had made it abundantly clear from the time that they were children that under no circumstances was Wasabi ever to meet her father. She really hadn't wanted her two worlds to collide more than they had to. She hadn't even let Wasabi walk her home back when she was living in that garbage part of the city. But she'd been wrong. Apparently, there was one circumstance in which her real family and her biological family could meet. And that was, of course, if her father was in a coffin.

Leiko didn't actually feel obligated to go, but something made her decide to. Ichiro Tomago didn't really have any other family and, though her heart was heavy from remembering, she felt like she should take care of him one more time. She felt like she'd spent so much of her life waiting for the day he'd keel over and die, waiting for her freedom, and now the day had come and she felt more trapped than ever.

Wasabi was very worried about his fiance. She was understandably upset about her father's death, but it wasn't actually any feelings that they understood. Since reading the obituary, Leiko had been more reserved and had been carrying herself differently. Slouching and picking at her meals, walking slower and talking quietly. Wasabi somewhat understood her reservations, since he'd confronted his past before as well. But not like this. This was darker. More somber. He wanted to spend more time with her and make sure she was okay but he was getting shut out more and more.

Nevertheless, Wasabi wasn't going to try to interrupt her grieving period. If she needed time and space, he would give it. And if she needed him to be right there for her while she worked through her feelings, he would be right there for her. He'd move heaven and hell for her, knowing that she'd do the same for him.

GoGo didn't seem to want to reach out until the day of the funeral. She arrived at his apartment early in the morning, several hours before the service. Wasabi was up early too, dressed for the funeral and working on tidying his room. He raced to the door to open it to her. Her arms were crossed and she looked like she hadn't been sleeping much lately. He was dressed in a suit, out of some semblance of respect. GoGo was wearing her normal clothing, although she wore pants today instead of shorts and leggings. Her jacket was zipped up like it was cold outside.

"You're early, uh… Have you had breakfast? I could make you some eggs, or coffee, or both?"

"I could take a coffee," GoGo said, drifting around his apartment and straightening his knick-knacks before landing on his couch. She leaned forward instead of putting her feet up, arms on her knees, the left one bouncing anxiously. Wasabi came over with her coffee in a minute, though he usually didn't like to eat or drink anything on his couch. They both drank it black most of the time, though Wasabi would offer cream and sugar to others and occasionally would add some to his own. GoGo held his gray "Don't Talk To Me Before I've Had My Coffee" mug with both hands as if she was desperately trying to get warm and Wasabi was almost afraid to speak.

"We don't have to go, Leiko," he finally managed when his fiance was halfway done with her coffee, "you don't owe him anything."

"Of course not," she agreed, her voice quiet, "why would I owe him anything? After all that he's done to me…"

"Exactly. So if you didn't want to go to his funeral, no one would blame you."

"Yeah…" GoGo mumbled.

"But I… I do want to. I have to, now. I've spent so many hours just thinking about it. I have to go. I have to see him buried and then I'll be okay again." Wasabi nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away instinctively and he withdrew his hand, not surprised at her reaction given the circumstances that pulled her back to her past.

"If that's what you think is best, GoGo. I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Thanks, Wasabi."

"And if you ever want to talk about it, I'm right here."

GoGo opened her mouth to say something and then just took a sip of her coffee.

"I completely understand if you don't want to talk about anything. We could just sit here…" GoGo nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. Wasabi moved to wrap his arm around her then hesitated, not wanting to do more than she was currently comfortable with.

"Can I?"

GoGo looked up at him, for a second just a scared little kid.

"Please," she whispered. He wrapped his arm around her then and held her close as they finished their coffees and she curled into him.

Ichiro Tomago had died as he lived, drinking. He'd rammed the car he was driving without a license or license plate into the wall of an abandoned building in the bad part of town. By the time his body had been discovered by the police, he'd been stripped of almost all of his personal belongings. GoGo hadn't expected to be left anything, he had nothing to leave. His life had been a waste and the only thing she had to thank him for was her own life. There hadn't been much to say about him or many people there. GoGo expected to feel better when the casket closed and they started pitching dirt over his perpetually filthy carcass. She turned away, trying to feel something. Trying to feel better. Trying to breathe again. But she still felt like dirt.

"GoGo? Do you want to go get something to eat?" Wasabi asked, reaching for her hand. She didn't pull away.

"No, could you just drive me to my apartment? I just want to get some rest."

"Oh, of course. Call me if you need anything, I'll be there in a heartbeat." He squeezed her hand.

"Thank you. But I'll be okay… I just need some time to think."

"I understand. I'll always be here to listen." He lightly kissed her cheek and then drove her home. When he pulled up to her apartment he noticed that she was shivering and shed his coat, wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Things don't have to be okay right away, GoGo. You don't have to stop grieving or not grieving just because the grave is dug. It's okay to feel what you're feeling and if you need my help or anyone else's help, it's okay to ask. You're the reason I reached out and got help. If you need it… I encourage you to do the same." She broke down then, holding his coat around her like a blanket. GoGo never cried but now tears poured down her face.

"I just don't understand why I can't be happy! I should be happy! He tormented me my entire life! He hurt me, Wasabi! And yet I'm still so broken up over this! I was never even going to see him again, Wasabi, you were never going to see him! But this… This is worse than never seeing him again. This means that he died without any hope. This means he was worthless and… Maybe I am too." Wasabi cupped her cheek, wiping away tears with his thumb.

"Oh, Leiko… You're not worthless. You're not unfixable. There will always be hope, my love. I'll make sure of it. We are not the people we come from. But it's okay to feel sad when they're no longer in our lives."

"M-maybe you're right… Maybe I should talk to someone about this. I can't ask you to get help and then bottle up my own feelings… I just don't want to feel so tired and empty anymore. I want to understand why I still loved him, even while they were shutting the coffin lid."

"I'll be right here for you, GoGo. While you figure it out."

"Thanks for not giving up hope…" GoGo whispered, pulling his coat closer around her and trying to face a world where everything was different.


End file.
